(?)Paris, collection of M. Evans-Lombe. His sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, March 27-30, April 1, and May 2, 1863, lot 26: “WATTEAU (ANTOINE) . . .Jeune femme se balançant. Sur bois.” Although the auction data is minimal, the fact that the painting contained (or emphasized) just the woman and that it was on panel suggest that this may have been our painting.

Paris, collection of André Chevrillon. Chevrillon’s ownership is cited by Réau but without documentation. This seems plausible since he owned other works from the Porgès collection such as a head painted by Greuze (sold London, Christie’s, May 14, 2009, lot 40). Perhaps Bieville acted as his agent at the Porgès sale. Adhémar mistranscribed the owner’s name as “Chevrillard,” and her error was repeated by Macchia and Montagni.

Paris, Galerie André Weil. This element in the provenance is cited by Adhémar but is otherwise undocumented

This painting and a Watteau arabesque known as L’Escarpolette are closely linked. The total extent of Watteau’s original arabesque was engraved by Louis Crépy fils, but just the central portion of Watteau’s design is preserved and is in the Helsinki museum. As it happens, the painting under consideration here likewise corresponds to just the figurative elements and trees in the central portion of Watteau’s arabesque, but omits all the decorative enframement. Even then there are differences. The man is less energetic in the way he pushes the swing, and he is closer to his companion—so much so that his face and the right side of his body are obscured by her’s. The angle of the woman’s body has been turned to the right and, rather than looking down, her head is lifted slightly upward. In short, this is a very free variant of Watteau’s composition.

Because of the overall similarity to Watteau’s composition, this painting has in the past been given to Watteau, especially in the nineteenth century when scholars were overly generous in their attributions. In the twentieth century, the picture remained somewhat in the shadows. Dacier, Vuaflart, and Hérold referred to it in relation to Watteau’s arabesque, but without weighing in on whether they thought it was autograph. Réau described it as a “replica” of Watteau’s arabesque. Surprisingly, Adhémar retained it as an autograph work. Yet one need consider just the woman’s face to measure the gulf that separates this painting from Watteau’s established works. Her head is too large, her short nose has flared nostrils, her parted lips and gently ecstatic mood is quite unlike Watteau’s evasive expressions. Instead, the stylistic parallels are with Lancret’s early works and it is to that master that this painting should be assigned.

That Lancret followed a Watteau invention is not surprising since, after all, his Conversation galante in the Wallace Collection, the painting he may have submitted to the Académie royale in 1718, contains a paraphrase of Watteau’s Voulez-vous triompher des belles?

The history and provenance of this painting has become jumbled in recent Watteau literature, especially because Adhémar confused this work and the Helsinki fragment of the original Watteau, distributing its provenance under two separate entries. Macchia and Montagni repeated Adhémar’s mistake.